A number of Los Jalops grew up on drag racing, a fertile breeding ground for gearheads first codified in California by Hot Rod editor Wally Parks 56 years ago with the formation of the National Hot Rod Association. Now, we've had our gripes with the NHRA over the years, and top rank drag racing has definitely become more corporate as technology's advanced. John Force is really the last of the two-fisted motherfuckers who populated the sport during its golden age. Now the NHRA, while remaining a nonprofit itself, has sold its pro division to a group called "HD Acquisition Partners." Which is to say, a company with so little imagination, they couldn't even bother to come up with a name for themselves. Even more worrisome, NHRA honcho Tom Compton remarked that HD has the "skill sets to assist the current management team to drive key initiatives to accelerate the growth of the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series." Remember when Garlits threw the Hemi out of his street car into his rail and was shocked at how well it ran? Apparently, neither does anyone else. It's a melancholy day for drag racing. – Davey G. Johnson